Hair catching device

ABSTRACT

A convex screen extending upward from a circular housing which has an opening therein extending into a downward tube along one portion thereof.

United States Patent Gebert 51 Nov. 7, 1972 [54] HAIR CATCHING DEVICE 412,195 10/1889 Marker ..4/289 539,689 S/1895 Knispel ..4/286 1,594,361 8/1926 Frankenstein ..4/289 2,438,302 3/1948 Simcich ..210/162 2,552,894 5/ 1951 Kiefer ..4/ 159 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 429,378 l/1948 Italy ..4/190 Primary Examiner-Frederick L. Matteson Assistant Examiner-Donald B. Massenberg Attorney-Alexander B. Blair [57] ABSTRACT A convex screen extending upward from a circular 7 housing which has an opening therein extending into a downward tube along one portion thereof.

1 Claim, 9 Drawing Figures P'ATiNTEDmv 11912 SHEEI 1 OF 2 YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII A JNVENTOR. M/e/A 0. 655527 4 B 1 HAIR CATCHING DEVICE This invention relates to a device which will prevent hair from plugging up a drain pipe. The average sink, bathtub, wash basin, etc., quite often has a removable strainer device which may be substituted with this invention.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide means for catching all hair and other large particles which could clog up the drain pipes prior to their flow thereinto.

Another object of this invention is to provide devices which may be flexibly adapted to different types of sinks and tubs with various size drain openings and positioning thereof.

The above and other objects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of a detailed description of several preferred embodiments of this invention taken together with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the device and sink;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a blown up cross sectional view of the handle portion;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a blown up plan view of the handle portion;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of another embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9--9 of FIG. 8.

Referring in detail to the drawing, there is shown in FIGS. 1-5 a housing 20 having a U-shaped lip 22, a mounting handle 24 with a hole 26 and support portion 28 on opposite sides of housing 20 extending from the sink 46 due to the curvature of surface 48 in many instances and to facilitate the sealing of the mated fit between passageway 36 and drain 44 due to the suction formed between housing 20 and sink surface 48 by the water flowing around lip 22 and through holes 39 into passageway 36 and drain 44. It should be noted that passageway 36 is located near one end of housing 20 in view of the fact that drain 44 in most sinks is located close to the faucet edge 50. If passageway 36 were in the center of housing 20, insertion would be prevented due to the obstruction of part of the circumference of housing 20 against side 50. For this reason, handles 24 are offset by a sufficient angle to prevent them from hitting side 50.

FI 6 shows housing 20 with a different positioned and sized passageway 60 mating with a larger drain 62 than that of drain 44 in a bathtub 64. FIG. 8 shows housing 20 with another different positioned and sized passageway 70 for mating with a large drain opening of a wash basin 72.

It should be noted that the device may be hung up out of the way when not in use by utilizing hole 26. Also, hair may be cleaned off strainer 38 by hand without the necessity of removing strainer 38 from outer perimeter of lip 22, a plurality of cut-out portions 30 in the end of the top leg 32 of lip 22, and an opening 34 in the bottom thereof leading into a cylindrical passageway 36 having a downwardly decreasing diameter. A convex strainer 38 having a plurality of holes 39 therein is insertable within the channel 40 formed by lip 22, has a portion 42 along the end perimeter thereof which is parallel with the bottom of housing 20, and may be removed for cleaning it of caught hair by inserting a fingernail or instrument along the vertical edge of channel 40 which is facilitated at the location at one of cut-outs 30. Passageway 36 extends into the drain 44 of a sink 46 forming a tight fit somewhere along the outer circumference 48 of passageway 36. Portion 28 prevents housing 20 from lying flat on the surface 48 of housing 20.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that while several preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described, manyv changes and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A hair catching attachment for conventional sinks and basins of the type having a drain conduit secured in the bottom wall thereof comprising a housing including a generally circular flat disk and an upstanding generally U-shaped intumed lip integrally secured to the peripheral edge of said disk, a tubular passageway integrally secured to said disk in depending relation thereto communicating with said housing, said passageway tapering to a reduced diameter at its lower end to tightly and removably engage in said drain conduit, a convex strainer removably mounted in said U- shaped lip and having a plurality of drain holes formed therein to permit the flow of water while preventing the passage of hair and means depending from spaced points of the perimeter of the housing for supporting said housing above the surface of the bottom wall of the sink or basin, said passageway formed substantially offcenter of said housing closely adjacent one edge thereof to adapt said attachment for use when the drain conduit is closely adjacent a side wall of the sink or basin. 

1. A hair catching attachment for conventional sinks and basins of the type having a drain conduit secured in the bottom wall thereof comprising a housing including a generally circular flat disk and an upstanding generally U-shaped inturned lip integrally secured to the peripheral edge of said disk, a tubular passageway integrally secured to said disk in depending relation thereto communicating with said housing, said passageway tapering to a reduced diameter at its lower end to tightly and removably engage in said drain conduit, a convex strainer removably mounted in said U-shaped lip and having a plurality of drain holes formed therein to permit the flow of water while preventing the passage of hair and means depending from spaced points of the perimeter of the housing for supporting said housing above the surface of the bottom wall of the sink or basin, said passageway formed substantially offcenter of said housing closely adjacent one edge thereof to adapt said attachment for use when the drain conduit is closely adjacent a side wall of the sink or basin. 